Trap fish-hook.



No. 696,013. Patented Mar. 25, I902. e. H. 005mm.

TRAP FISH HOOK.

(Application filed Jan. 1, 1902) (No Model.)

WITN ESES: f

i ATTORNEYS llnir STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

GEORGE H. DOERING, OF BROOKLYN, NE? YORK.

TRAP FISH-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,013, dated March 25, 1902.

Application filed January 11, 1902. $e ria1l 1o. 89,260. (No model.)

To 61/ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. DOERING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn,county of Kings,city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trap Fish- Hooks, of which the following is a specification,referencebeinghad therein to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device set. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the device sprung; and Figs. l and 5, details of modified forms of the latch.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple device of the class described which shall consist of few parts and may be easily and cheaply manufactured.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trap-hook which may be readily set without any danger of injuring the hands by contact with the points of the hooks.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the device that the shock on the parts caused by the springing of the trap will be evenly distributed throughout the device, so that the strain occasioned thereby will not be brought on any one point and the liability of injury to the device from this cause will be avoided.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, l designates the supporting-plate, on the forward lower end of which the gaff-hooks 2 are pivoted. These hooks cross each other at their pivotal point and are each formed of a long arm below the pivot and 'a shorter arm 3 above the pivot, the lower ends of the longer arms being formed into inward-extending g ad-points. These gait-hooks adjacent the pivot and on their inner edges are formed with substantially semicircular enlargements 4, each of which is cut out to form inward-extending rectangular notches 5.

To the rear side of the supporting-plate 1 is slidingly secured a plate 6 by means of a pin or projection 6 on the supporting-plate, which extends through a longitudinal slot 6 in the plate 6, said pin or projection being headed at its rear end to retain the plate in position. To the lower end of the plate is secured the depending bait-hook 7, and to the said lug.

the gaff-hooks are the lower ends of a strong spring 10, the tendency of this spring being to draw the ends of the arms 3 of the gaffhooks inward toward each other, thereby throwing inward the lower ends of said hooks, the said spring being formed into an eye at its upper end to receive the ends of the line.

Projecting forward from the supporting-plate above the pivot ot' the gaff-hooks is a stop lug 12, against the sides of which the inner edges of the arms 3 of the gaff-hooks will contact when the hooks are forced inward by the spring 10. The inner edges of the arms 3 are cutout, as at 13, to fit over the lug12. Above these recesses the inner edges of the arms 3 are formed with enlargements 14, which contact with each other, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, when the device is sprung, and thereby relieve the supporting-plate of a part of the shock. Below the enlargements 4 the gaff-hooks are formed with the projections 15, which contact with the sides of the latch-lug 9 when the device is sprung, thereby bringing on the plate 6 a portion of the strain caused by the sudden closing of the gaff-hooks.

The operation of the device will be readily understood. When closed, the parts of the device assume the relative positions shown in Fig. It will be noted that the latch-lug 9 is held against the lower end of'the semicircular enlargements of the gait-hooks and that the projections 15 contact with the sides of When it is desired to set the trap, the lower ends of the gaff-hooks are grasped and drawn outwardly away from each other. Asthe hooks move outward the latch-lug will ride on the edges of the enlargements 4 until the hooks have reached the outermost position, when said latch-lug will be drawn into the notches 5 by means of the spring 8. It

will thus be seen that the gaff-hooks will be automatically locked in their open position, it being simply necessary to draw them outward away from each other to the proper distance. A slight downward pull on the baithook will be sufficient to withdraw the-latchlug from the notches 5, and thereby permit the spring 10 to suddenly close the gaff-hooks. It will therefore be seen that should a fish only slightly nibble at the bait the trap will be sprung and the gait-hooks forced inward quickly to secure the fish.

Instead of cutting the notches 5 in the enlargements 4 of the gaff-hooks a downwardextending finger 16 may be formed on each enlargement, said fingers being so located that when the hooks are in their outermost position said fingers will register with each other. The slide 6 in this form of the device will be provided witha forward-extending transverse loop 17, which is adapted to fit over the fingers 16, and thereby lock the gaffhooks in their set position. Instead of the transverse loop 17 it will be readily understood that a pair of forward-extending lips 18 may be formed on the slide between which the fingers lti-are adapted to fit. In this form of the device lips or enlargements 19 may be formed on the outer edges of the gaff-hooks in such a position that when the device is sprung or closed the finger 16 of one book will contact with the stop-lug or finger 19 of the other hook, whereby the strain caused by the sudden closing of the hooks will be in part taken up by the hooks themselves.

From the foregoing it is obvious that this device is of simple construction, that it may be readily set without any danger of injuring the hands by contact with the hooks, and that the strain caused by the sudden closing of the gait-hooks will be evenly distributed throughout the various parts of the device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A trap-hook comprised of a supportingplate, a pair of gaff-hooks pivoted thereto and formed with curved enlargements on their inner edges adjacent the pivot, a notch being to the sliding plate and to the supporting-- form ed in said curved enlargements, a sliding plate mounted on the supporting-plate and formed with a latch-lug adapted to fit the notches in the gaff-hooks, a spring secured plate to normally draw the sliding plate upward whereby the latch-lug will be held in the notches against accidental displacement and will be held against the curved surface of the enlargements of the gaff-hooks when the said hooks arein their closed position and will ride on said enlargements While the gaff-hooks are being opened, a bait-hook carried by the sliding plate, and a spring normally closing the gaff-hooks.

2. A trap fish-hook comprised of a supportin g-plate,a pair of gait-hooks pivoted thereto, the pivots thereof being in substantially the same axial line, the gaff-hooks extending out- Ward and downward from their pivots in opposite directions each gait-hook being formed with a latch-receiving jaw, said jaws being adapted to register when said hooks are moved outward to their set position, a spring normally acting to close said hooks, a latch device adapted to slip into engagement with said jaws when they are in register to lock said hooks in their open or set position and a bait-hook connected to said latch device,

' whereby a pull on the bait-hook will release the gait-hooks.

3. A trap-hook comprised of a supporting.

plate,-a pair of gaff-hooks pivoted thereto, the pivots thereof being in substantially the same axial line, the gaff-hooks extending outhooks, a latch device adapted to slip into engagement with said latch receiving parts when the hooks are in their outer or set position to lock said hooks in their open or set position and a bait-hook connected to said latch device whereby a pull on the bait-hook will release the gait-hooks.

4. A trap-hook comprised of a supportingplate, a pair of gaff-hooks pivoted thereto, the pivots thereof being in substantially the same axial line, the gaff-hooks extending outward and downward from the pivots in opposite directions, each gaff-hook being formed with a latch-receiving part, said parts being adapted to register when said hooks are moved outward to their set position, a spring normally acting to close said hooks, a latch device adapted to automatically slip into engagement with said latchreceiving parts when they are in register to lock said hooks in their open or set position and a bait-hook connected to said latch device whereby a pull on the bait-hook will release the gafi-hooks.

5. A trap-hook comprised of a supportingplate, a pair of gaff-hooks arranged to cross each other near their upper ends and pivoted to the supporting-plate at their point of intersection, and formed with the upper shorter arms 3 and the lower longer arms 2, a latchreceiving part formed on each of the gaffhooks at their point of intersection said parts being adapted to register with each other when the gaff-hooks are in their open or set position, a sliding latch device carried by the supporting-plate and adapted to engage. the latch-receiving parts when they are in register to hold the gaff-hooks in their open position, a bait-hook carried by said sliding latch device, a spring normally closing the gaithooks and a stop-lug on the supporting-plate between the upper arms of the gaff-hooks and adapted to act as a stop to limit the inward movement of said arms.

6. A trap-hook comprised of a supportingplate, a pair of gaff-hooks, arranged to cross each other near their upper ends and pivoted to the supporting-plate at their point of intersection, and formed with the longer arms 2 and the upper arms 3, a latch-receiving part formed on each of the gait-hooks at their point of intersection said parts being adapted to register with each other when the gaffhooks are in their open or set position, a sliding latch device carried by the supportingplate and adapted to engage the latch-receiving parts when they are in register to lock the hooks in their open or set position, a bait-hook carried by said latch device, a spring connected to the upper arms of the gaff-hooks and normally closing said hooks, and enlargements formed on the inner edges of the smaller arms of the gaff-hooks, said enlargements being adapted to contact with each other when the latch is released.

7. A trap-hook comprised of a supportingplate, a pair of gaff-hooks arranged to cross each other near their upper ends and pivoted to the supporting-plate at their point of intersection and formed with lower hook-arms 2 and the upper shorter arms 3, a latch-receiving part formed on each of the gaff-hooks at their point of intersection, said parts being adapted to register with each other when the gaff-hooks are in their open or set position, a sliding latch device carried by the supporting-plate, and adapted to engage the latch-receiving parts when they are in register to lock the hooks in their open or set position, a bait-hook carried by said latch device, a spring connected to the ends of the shorter arms of the gaff-hooks and normally closing said hooks, said spring extending upward and being formed at its upper end into an eye for the reception of the line.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 8th day of January, 1902.

GEORGE H. DOERING.

Witnesses:

WM. R. DAVIS, R. WHITE. 

